Fortnum & Mason has a right royal recovery

The public has fallen back in love with the royal grocer, says the company’s chief executive

Whether it is tourists buying tins of rare and fragrant teas or well-heeled local shoppers stocking up on exclusive cuts of Glenarm beef and cave aged cheddar, sales are rising at Fortnum & Mason.

The grocer to the Queen has recorded another stellar year as shoppers thronged its emporium on Piccadilly in central London and shopped online, with profits jumping 23 per cent to £7.6 million on net sales of £113 million, up by 14 per cent in the year to the end of July.

Ewan Venters, chief executive of Fortnum and MasonChris J Ratcliffe for The Times

Ewan Venters, who joined the 310 year-old retailer as chief executive in 2012, said Fortnum & Mason’s turnover had doubled over the past five years and was now “infinitely more profitable”, adding: “This is a business but it is also…